Livingstone’s international team gathered in Valencia for our 2026 Global Retreat, bringing together colleagues from Europe, Asia and the United States for four days of business discussions, sector workshops, and team activities. The retreat provided an opportunity to share transaction experience, deepen relationships, and explore ways to further leverage Livingstone’s international reach for clients.
France on Board: Our 15th Office
The retreat came just one week after Livingstone announced its 15th office, welcoming approximately 15 M&A professionals in Paris. Valencia marked the French team’s first Global Retreat and an immediate opportunity to meet colleagues across each office and build relationships that underpin cross-border collaboration.
One Firm, Deep Market Reach
The business program opened with perspectives from each Livingstone office on recent activity, market dynamics and priorities for the year ahead. Sector sessions spanning Industrial Technology, Food & Agriculture, Healthcare, Business Services and Technology focused on market developments, recent transactions, pipelines, and investor activity across geographies. Discussions also crossed traditional sector boundaries, with areas such as data centers, defense, automotive aftermarket and AgriTech increasingly drawing on expertise from multiple practices. For our clients, this collaboration combines local relationships and senior-level advice with global sector knowledge, buyer connectivity, and transaction experience.
The Livingstone Foundation: Our Charitable Foundation Continues its Work.
We were also delighted to get an update on our charitable work in rural Zambia, where we continue to support local initiatives in health and education. A project that is very close to the hearts of all Livingstonians, we were very proud to hear that after 13 years of school building and student sponsorship, that we now have our first students graduating university.
Building the Livingstone Toolkit
Workshops on AI, marketing and firm organization focused on strengthening origination, transaction execution and knowledge sharing across offices.
Deal of the Year: Complexity as the Common Thread
Our annual Deal of the Year presentations provided each office an opportunity to share a notable transaction and the lessons gained through its execution. This year’s award went to our Italian team, recognizing its work on one of the firm’s most complex transactions of the year. The presentations reinforced the importance of tailored advice and senior-level involvement in navigating complex transactions.
From the Boardroom to the Racetrack
Of course, our Global Retreat is about more than business. Evenings on the Barceló rooftop and around Valencia’s Marina provided opportunities to connect in more informal settings. At Tentadero La Paz, lunch and a flamenco performance, where Livingstonians also performed and tried their hand at flamenco. At Aspar Circuit, teams competed in building their own cardboard karts, then took to the track in real karts, with colleagues from the Netherlands and Germany finishing on the podium.
The retreat concluded with dinner surrounded by marine life in Restaurante Submarino in the Oceanogràfic aquarium at Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences, followed by a final evening at L’Umbracle Terrace.
One Team Focused on What Comes Next
As Livingstone grows, bringing our international team together becomes more valuable, strengthening relationships, integrating new colleagues and building the trust that makes cross-border collaboration work.
Valencia reinforced our shared commitment to delivering the benefits of Livingstone’s international presence: local senior-level advice supported by global sector expertise, relationships and execution capabilities.
Thank you to our Spanish team for hosting an outstanding retreat and to everyone who contributed to its success. The bar is set high for 2027!
